Exhibit W...

Yet another sign I am still not ready to follow politics again: crying when the song "Eve of Destruction" comes on the radio. Seriously, fifty-year-old Vietnam protest song?! Mmhmm, think I'm gonna stick to binge-watching cleaning and makeup videos on YouTube for now. But reading up on "Eve of Destruction" did bring the 2001 Clear Channel memo to my attention, though. I mean, I know people did some nutty stuff in the fall of 2001, but suggesting radio stations not play Rage Against the Machine is not helpful. Jeez.  They should've banned that horrific Lee Greenwood song, if they wanted to pacify the masses... But hey, this song was also on the list!

Anyone remember the show Cleopatra 2525? That was fun...

So we've had a bit of drama over here, the worst of which I think/hope is over, or at least addressed. At his point we are planning a quick New York vacation, which will involve fun family stuff and hopefully Der Rosenkavalier at the Met! In crafting, a very good friend is having a baby soon, so I am making a Guernsey-style blanket for her. I am taking a break from it at the moment to work on a Rikaart cowl (finally using my Miss Babs!).  I probably should have done this before the freak cold snap here, so it might actually be useful.

Well, actually...

I have not really been in the best place lately, but I did feel like I needed to post. I don't know if it's just the Seasonal Affective Disorder--which has not really been that bad in the 17 years I've lived in the South, but still is an annual thing--or that the election has broken my heart, and my husband's heart as well, but yeah, just not feeling all that hot... Anyway one of the things perturbing my brain is, of course, George Michael dying, on Christmas even. (Not that I'm the biggest fan of the song "Last Christmas", not really my thing, but y'all know my love for George Michael. Even when it wasn't cool, I was into George Michael.) I have been listening a lot, just enjoying his voice, and developing new respect for some surprisingly complex pop songs.  This one, though, is just for fun, and because it cheers me up I've been listening to it a lot. This video, though. Top of the Pops, 1984. Lip-synched, Princess Diana hair, Miami Vice outfit in black... So many colors... (Please don't watch this if you are prone to motion sickness or seizures. Oh man.)

And if you are not smiling at least a little after that, well, I can't help you.

Not holiday-themed, just fun

If you're not watching Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, well, why the hell not?! It is fantastic, so long as there are no small folks around.  I do miss Santino Fontana, because super sexy voice, but am bearing up well.  This made me howl...

There are last-minute ornaments to embroider (Mark's co-workers--like he couldn't have told me sooner! Eh, no biggie, they're fast), but I will return soon, promise.

Alternate summer anthems

Somehow I got a certain "summer anthem" by a certain former Disney star-turned-wayward youth-turned-new Voice judge stuck in my head.  I'm not even sure how, because I can't imagine voluntarily listening to it.  (Maybe because the chorus starts out like "Mo' Money, Mo' Problems,", which samples "I'm Coming Out" - two summery songs that are not terrible like this one...) Anyway, I needed to evict it, and this sort of worked.







Summer has been passing quickly.  We just completed a trip to see Mark's family (Buffalo with record high temperatures and zero control over the schedule = not a vacation!), and had my parents come visit this past weekend.  (Only one fight about police brutality with my mother, and I tried desperately to change the subject...)  School supplies have been purchased, and Rosina starts kindergarten in less than three weeks!  Nope, still not really processing that.  I am working from home until after Labor Day, since camp is over.  We have been watching the Olympics, and I have been working on my handspun cardigan!  After two separate stupid mistakes (miscounting and switching to the wrong size tips, respectively) which each involved frogging huge amounts - two feet of plus-size cardigan total, I kid you not - I think I am finally on the right track.

Zucchini, I promise you this:

Appropriate because we just bought a ton of produce:

This was of my favorite commercials as a kid.  It is funnier now that I actually know the original song. Also, is this when freezer bags came out? How odd that a product I use every day hasn't been around forever... 🤓

In other news, have you heard about the Volkswagen drama? We've been kind of in limbo since September, with a series of rumors floating around, but it looks like we'll know more on Tuesday.  Since we were all pretty much lied to, and the Magic Snowflake Fuel-Efficient Automatic with Cargo Space doesn't really exist, we've basically decided on replacing the Sportwagen with a CRV. Everyone we know who's ever had one has loved it, they last forever, reliability, etc. The 2015 models get about 33 highway, which isn't as good as I was hoping for, and I dislike having to get an SUV (I do put my foot down about minivans; I was willing to do a station wagon, but I have my limits), but it has more cargo room (note this is for Mark, who does actually haul things in the Jetta) and is waaay cheaper in the long run than the runner-up, the Prius V. (We also chose the Jetta over it back in 2013, for the same reasons.) Ideally we'd like the auto swap process to be a net-zero situation, but we may end up with a very tiny loan, depending on how much cash back we can get.  

It bears repeating

I finally watched The Silver Linings Playbook, and I did like it (though minus a star for the age difference, groan), but now I have this song stuck in my head.

Granted, it doesn't take much to get this stuck in my head. I still lament not giving The White Stripes a chance while they were still a thing. The movie had a great soundtrack in general - Zeppelin, even.

Last weekend we went to the beach, for the first time in years (not counting a day trip last August, when it was in the 70s and too cold to even wade). Rosina's favorite part: wiping out in a (small!) wave. That and meeting a baby sea turtle at the aquarium. It was a nice trip! Our other excursions this summer are basically for family obligations, so it was good to have time to ourselves.

I guess it's summer, then...

I suppose if you're going to have a song stuck in your head, this beats an annoying Ed Sheeran song.

And did you know? It's a Carter Family song.  No surprise!

Rosina's birthday was a little crazy, but she was so excited, and her friends had a great time at the party. And my cardigan is done! I even got a chance to wear it today before it gets ridiculous hot. I need to get a photo!

A prescient title

In my continuing examination of twenty-year-old music, Exhibit Foo Fighters.  Out of the ashes of Nirvana, polymath Dave Grohl writes and plays all instruments on the group's eponymous album.  It wasn't even an actual group yet (he had to recruit them for the tour!).  I liked Nirvana OK, but for all the posturing, I was never wholly a grunge person.  Even at my worst teen angst, I was still inherently an optimistic person, and have always been a lover of melody.  And even in this first attempt, we see what Foo Fighters would continue to be:  more melody, more interesting harmonies, better singing, a freaking sense of humor, lyrics that aren't just about shocking people... So yes, I maintain that Foo Fighters is/was a way better band than Nirvana, even at this stage.







And this video--with all its grunge-era posturing--is apparently about fighting viruses or something, a la Fantastic Voyage?  Already this is more fun than Nirvana.  Just wait until they start spoofing Mentos commercials!



Rosina had kind of a pointless field trip this morning--storytime at Barnes & Noble?  Other than change of venue, this is basically what they do every day at school--but after dropping her back at school, I had a particularly Bourgie Mom morning:  eyebrow threading (ouch! luckily I only do this about once a year to maintain shape), Bath & Body Works (belated birthday gift for my mother), then shoe shopping (because I always default to sneakers, even to work, and I don't love that).  Does it help that the shoes are faux Alegria Mary Janes with a blue-and-purple swirly pattern?  They should go really well with my new hipster-Ariel glasses...

Queries

I know fun. is on a break right now, but dude, this guy's voice is so compelling to me. I'd love to give him a lesson--see what's under the proverbial hood, so to speak. 

Also, apparently this song is about being on tour? Am I the only person who thought it was about Iraq or something?

Children's programming question of the day: what kind of currency is accepted on the Dinosaur Train?  This show requires so much suspension of disbelief (TARDIS-y train,  a T. rex raised by pteranodons, dinosaur Elvis??), I don't think it's too much to ask.

Light a candle...

I know the holidays can be difficult for people who are alone, or have suffered losses, or who struggle with depression. As I came here to post three of my favorite (secular) Christmas songs, it occurred to me that all three of the artists suffered from mental illness, and all died as a result of their illness.  When I listen to these songs now, it prompts me to send extra long-distance hugs to my friends and family having a rough time. You are loved, even from far away!

First, the imitable Judy G, with her lesser-known holiday favorite, from another Christmas-ish movie that doesn't seem like one (and in this case, the movie is a loose remake of one of my favorite Christmas movies, The Shop Around the Corner--remade again as You've Got Mail).

Next, a song that has been covered--BADLY--so many times. The original is terrific. Why is Donny Hathaway not on constant rotation on oldies radio?!

Lastly, another of my contralto ladies. If you don't like this, we cannot be friends. 

It's like that thing where you say the same word, over and over...

...and it loses all meaning?

There are some very weird fan-generated Murdoch Mysteries videos.  This is not even one of them. But you can see that Yannick Bisson is an expert on smizing.  (I suppose puppy-dog eyes are a helpful tool.)

Busy busy over here--everybody getting sick (sidebar: tummy meds still working!!) while I desperately try to avoid illness in preparation for rehearsals starting tomorrow night!  (The chorus of the concert performance I alluded to a few posts back.  The audition did go fairly well, despite my jitters, and while they were quite complimentary, I wasn't cast in any of the comprimario roles I was interested in-- they were probably precast anyway.  I decided to sit in in the chorus, despite not having sung in an opera chorus since 2006--and then only as a favor!--and because there's more music to learn, it may even be more helpful for diction education than a comprimario part.)  The process has indeed been helpful in my comprehension of general diction in the given language.  (Vague Girl is being Vague.)  I feel that learning pieces in this language will be a lot easier in the future because of the work I'm doing now.  Plus I get to hang out in the vocal basement, my favorite place to live.

In other news, we are getting ready for Christmas, albeit slowly due to the aforementioned illnesses and music-learning.  We have a wreath on the house, and we bought a tree at Costco Thanksgiving weekend, but we haven't brought it in yet.  (There are NO TREES available here after December 10--it is so weird--so you basically have to buy early, cut off a few inches of trunk and keep it in a bucket of water outside if you don't plan on putting it up right away.  My father's birthday is next week, and he was grumpy about it, so we never put up the tree until afterwards.  Ideally, it would be up already, though.)  We had Rosina write a note to Santa, which she will deliver to our neighbor/professional Santa (who she knows is "Santa's Helper, not actual Santa") on Sunday.  We have not done any shopping for her yet, but I am almost done with a life-size knitted puffin. It's a very clever pattern, with lots of short rows and slipped stitches used to great effect.  I just didn't know it was going to be so BIG.

Gotta dance...

My love for Gene Kelly is well-established (like I said, I have a type, like whoa), and this is a lovely use of Bruno Mars.  (I like that they referenced That's Entertainment! at the end, since this is an obvious homage.)



 



Speaking of Bruno Mars:  If you weren't listening carefully to "Locked Out of Heaven", you'd miss some choice lyrics.  "Your sex takes me to paradise"?!?!?  That is so damn awkward and embarrassing.  I am no prude (though I have taken to changing the station in Rosina's presence when certain things come on--Tone Loc, I'm looking at you!), but if they were going for poetry, they missed the mark.  Surely the word "love" would mean nearly the same thing, and scan better as well.  And damn, I actually liked that song, and now I feel weird about it.



Since I neglected to mention it, a link to my tummy cure.  At least it seems that way.  I have been on some serious antibiotics in the past--Cipro for food poisoning twice, I think, and three weeks of clindamycin this spring--so I was definitely skeptical.  But things are a lot better at present.



Turned in the sample on Monday!  Now I'm nearly finished with some knee-high tube socks for Rosina.  She has been a bit impatient about them... I have one sock finished of a pair for myself, but other than that, I've been thinking about starting some cool fingerless mitts from the yarn I bought in Manhattan.  Also, Rosina says she wants a stuffed alligator, but I don't love the patterns I've seen.  She'd been pushing for a hedgehog earlier in the year, so I may encourage that.  Also, I have seen an amigurumi narwhal.  That will be happening regardless.

A fantastic karaoke choice.

(Post pending for a week due to technical issues.)



I enjoy singing this to Mark, mainly because it is cheesy. Also, he hates REO Speedwagon. This video is classic '80s weird (crazy effects! floating candles!), with the most hilarious punk in the first few seconds. And why does the band look so narcoleptic? Was this filmed at 4 A.M.?

Somewhat related: my current Netflix binge-watch is Murdoch Mysteries, which I recommend to anyone who loves murder mysteries, super Canadian things, historical dramas (especially with a hint of silly steampunk), and sexy grown-up Boy Scouts. (Yes, I have a type:  Superman, though not Christopher Reeve.  Is this a problem?)  This morning "Kiss Me" came on the radio, and it reminded me of those terrible rom-com montage videos--and I realized you could make a hilarious one from this show. Lots of footage of Murdoch on his bike, a shot of the night-vision goggles, Dr. Ogden analyzing a victim's stomach contents, Brackenreid making grumpy faces--and I suppose a little kissing, just in juxtaposition. I may be on to something here...

I promised some crafting content a bit ago, didn't I? I did finally finish this twin-size afghan for Rosina:

(Apparently Blogger sucks too bad to post pictures at the moment.  Here's a link.)


I started this in January 2013, and it is almost entirely made from wool leftovers. We're planning to get Rosina a convertible loft bed in the next few months (she is still in a toddler bed, but is outgrowing it!). I've never been one to have a lot of things on the needles at once, but there were a few days in September when I only had one project going that wasn't spinning! I'm currently working on a sample, but am also working on striped tube socks for Rosina (a break from a pair I'm making for myself).

Rosina's Favorite Songs: An Occasional Series

My kid likes Arctic Monkeys.  It is pretty hilarious.  I suppose I should be glad she's stopped singing along with "Take Me to Church" when it comes on in the car.







I finished reading Doctor Sleep today.  I haven't read any Stephen King in forever, and I have no idea why it took me so long to get to this one, considering how much I love The Shining.  Maybe I was worried that it wouldn't be any good?  It was.  What is it about his writing that I'm always completely engulfed in his universes?  I'm also reminded that I've been meaning to read 'Salem's Lot.  It's funny that I can read books on gory topics, but can't even handle CSI--I guess I'm good at skimming over the grody stuff, or just not letting my imagination dwell on it...

TV being deep and stuff

This is a quote from Castle, believe it or not.

"...Whatever is next, I don't want to have to compromise my priorities to get there, and I never want to be guilty of leaving behind what matters most."

Things to think about...

Grown-up things

Oh, Veronica Mars series finale, you are so damn unsatisfying!! I suppose I'm lucky that this is my first time watching; the movie DVD will be on its way to me in a few days, but most had to wait seven years for it. And now I see that there are novelizations... And here I was expecting to have to resort to fanfic!

In other news, Rosina's school is out for Spring Break this week, so I'll be working from home, just like in the old days. There are a few fun things on the horizon, but I also need to renew my license (and replace a fairly good picture from EIGHT YEARS AGO with a new one--that is just cruel) and spend waaay too much money on an interior door panel for my car. Like, more than three car payments' worth. Or two-and-a-half months of preschool tuition. Ugh, the last six months have been really expensive...

Notes to self

There's a reason I haven't knit the Baby Surprise Jacket in many years...I forgot how this damn thing sucks your soul. It's for one of Mark's coworkers who's due in October, so I do have some time, but man, this is boring. Oh, and I'm using sport-weight acrylic. Every time I work on an acrylic project for any real amount of time, I remember how I dislike working with it. I need to stick with cotton for baby stuff!

Yesterday I realized that Rosina was taking Got Your Nose very seriously--not that she was upset, but that I think she actually believed it a bit. I felt bad and had to let her in on the secret. :)

Reasons My Child Is Crying (one of these days I may even submit a photo):

-We wouldn't let her lick a table knife. 

-I flushed before letting her inspect the contents. My contents, that is. Want to see your poopeeee!

-We wouldn't let her play with a cheap toy badminton racket--one from which the head is easily removed, exposing a sharp spike (seriously, this thing is Bag O' Glass territory...)

Tomorrow I finally have the appointment with the GYN surgeon, and I'm glad Mark is able to make it. I'm not planning on making any decisions any time soon, but I did write a blog post the other day (unfortunately eaten by the Interwebs) where I mentioned reading a lot about the side effects of having a hysterectomy or oophotectomy at my age. They're pretty dire, honestly. I mean, if I'm basically on hormone replacement already--without the literal years taken off my life expectancy, given the immediately increased risks of stroke, heart disease, osteoporosis, cancer--than I may as well keep things the way they are, with maybe  some laparoscopic surgery to clean things up a bit. (Bonus: three days' recovery time, versus six weeks!) a That said, I don't think I'm seeing any changes since going back on the old meds. My followup with the RE isn't for three weeks--and I STILL haven't heard from the nutritionist that's supposed to call me!--so who knows. If I think too much about it all, I get pretty upset--not having control over my body's even basic systems, fear of gaining even more weight, diabetes of course (I know my bloodwork came back fine--but I still feel like a ticking timebomb). Ugh. 

Blah blah blah

Something I should not notice or care about: the voice actor who plays Prince Wednesday on Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood's voice is changing. (See also: Signs that you watch too much PBS Kids.) Also: the amount of Auto-Tune they have to use for Katerina Kitty-Cat's voice actor is unacceptable. I mean, there use way too much Auto-Tune to begin with (as does the universe), but like, why did they even hire that girl if she couldn't sing in tune?  Meh. 

In other preschooler news, I decided to go all-in and take away the pacifier yesterday afternoon. Fifteen minutes of screaming later, it was apparent that the nap was not happening. Mark apparently got Rosina to bed last night without much trouble, but I have no idea what this afternoon will hold. We have to drop off the Jetta across town for a service once Mark leaves the office, so her nap will be abbreviated either way. 

Tomorrow morning: family haircut time! That sounds way more Duggar-y than it actually is. We're all just going together, with Mark's appointment with a different stylist 30 minutes after mine, and Rosina's basically tacked onto the end of mine. She hasn't had a haircut since November (I can maintain her bangs, mostly), and I don't think I've been since February! My split ends are making me sad... 

(More) Housekeeping

Today is apparently the day I try to catch up on things.  I am currently uploading more than 200 pictures to Rosina's Shutterfly site, and it seemed like a good time to get my ass in gear and update my freaking blog already.  Poor neglected 13-year-old blog... (My blog has made it to menarche and likes to slam doors and fantasize about...hmm, about whom would an almost 13-year-old fantasize these days?  Sadly, I probably fantasized about Kurt Cameron or something.  Uh, the singer from Ylvis with the floppy hair?  David Wright on the Mets is pretty hot as well.)

First thing:  I am going to swear.  This song totally fucking ROCKS.  Like, I can't even.  It saddens me that I specifically remember denigrating the White Stripes when they came out, assuming they could not play their instruments.  Um, evidence to the contrary, right here. 



I mean, WHAT WAS THAT.

Also, we have had some adventures.  We did indeed buy a new laptop--of course, it's taken me three months to actually put photos on it, so there you go... We had a nice visit from my mother, sister-in-law and nieces in early May, then met them and my brother at Sesame Place in late May.  We picked just the right time to go, as the temperatures were about 15 degrees below normal (wearing cardigans post-Memorial Day = heaven), and there was a soft-open for a whole new section of rides.  We then drove up to New York to visit my grandparents and spend more time with my brother's family.  Things did get old with my mother.  (Also, kind of seeing a divergence in parenting styles here:  my mother gave my then-16-month-old niece a timeout for biting.  Can a baby that young even understand that kind of thing?!  Ugh.)  But we survived.  I even managed to drive back alone with Rosina (over two days--there was a lovely visit with the squishy and adorable Maddie in between legs), since Mark had to fly home after a few days.

Once we returned, it was time for potty training boot camp.  We would've preferred it happen organically, but with her having already turned three, it probably wasn't going to happen on its own--plus she had to be ready in time for preschool in September.  It was a rough first week, with lots of accidents everywhere.  Just when I was beginning to doubt it would ever catch on, I had an elucidating conversation with Rosina (benefit of training late: your kids can tell you what's up):  we were talking about poop, as you do, and where different people and kids that she knew pooped.  When I asked her where she pooped, she said, "In my diaper!", tugging on her training pants.  That's when I realized that she thought training pants (actual Gerber ones, plus some underwear I tricked out with padding) were just a really ineffective diaper.  Eureka!  She went commando for the next three days, and finally figured it out! And the first week wasn't really a waste, as it got her really used to the ritual. (Including the reward M&Ms and stickers.) It hasn't been perfect--today she peed ALL OVER the bathroom floor because she timed it wrong--but that was the first real accident in a few weeks.  (She is still in a diaper at night and for her nap--she's a big sleeper--but we may be ready to eliminate the latter soon.) We did learn that we need to carry around her foam seat because she's scared to sit on a toilet without it (legitimately--she is still quite small), but I can deal with that.  Anyway, long story short, POTTY OUT, we are awesome, etc. 

Having to spend two weeks at home cleaning up pee was actually fairly convenient, as my old modern dance-acquired plantar fasciitis decided to act up.  It was really bad for about a week, and even now it's not great.  I think it was from wearing two different pairs of summer shoes that were both too big and had zero arch support.  Anyway, for the past month I've only been in sneakers equipped with surprisingly helpful Dr. Scholl's inserts, and I've been doing lots of stretching.  In other health news, I did actually get my act together and make some long-overdue doctor's appointments.  My new GP seems very nice, though I haven't spent much time with her yet.  My reproductive endocrinologist is really great--an actual published expert on PCOS, among other things--and we have a game plan going forward.  (I'm currently back on my old pill, Yasmin, as well as going on extended-release metformin since the regular stuff made me so sick for so long.  All of my bloodwork came back fine--even my testosterone levels were normal, which was unexpected--and I will have a follow-up in a few weeks, along with a gynecological surgeon to talk about possible surgical intervention.  The more I think about it, since I'm basically on hormone replacement anyway, perhaps a hysterectomy and/or oophorectomy would cause unnecessary side effects, and laporoscopic ablation/cyst-zapping would be more beneficial--plus I won't be housebound for six weeks. Jeez.) I also finally saw an orthopedist about my flared-up bulging disc.  I'm in PT right now, and the exercises do help a lot, but I still wake up stiff and sore every morning.  I just cannot get the hang of sleeping in a normal human position that doesn't result in numb arms or a very sore neck.  Still working on that.

Fiber news:  I did indeed start a fingering-weight cardigan, Zora, right around Rosina's birthday.  I've finished the back and started one of the fronts, but haven't worked on it in a bit--with the Yarn Harlot doing her own biking this year, I didn't even think about the Tour de Fleece until I heard on the radio that the Tour de France was starting.  So I'm back working on my pretty green Unplanned Peacock stuff (merino?).  The other things I've worked on in recent memory are a reknit pair of socks for Mark (huge gauge mistake in the ones I made him for Christmas), a few starfish washcloths...and the other day I converted a singleton sock into a new steel water bottle sleeve.  Yesterday I used some of the extra yarn to knit a new sock for my trashed sock blocker keychain sock.

Um, what else?  I'm making dinner--attempting baked lentil falafel tonight.  But in closing, look at this picture.

Spoilers

(Somehow this never posted like, sometime in May?  It was my initial reaction to people talking about the Game of Thrones finale. I don't even follow this show, and haven't read the books.  I just got really pissed about it, and still am, actually.)

Can we talk about the concept of spoilers? Because I'm freaking tired of it. When people are bitching about spoilers for a previously-aired TV show based on a book, I think things have gone too far.  And how about YouTube web series based on classic literature (e.g. Lizzie Bennett Diaries, Autobiography of Jane Eyre)?  People actually complain about spoilers in the comments.  For a freaking TWO-HUNDRED-YEAR-OLD BOOK.  What is wrong with the world?!?!  I declare a moratorium on spoilers, forever.  Remember the early '80s, before people had VCRs?  If you were in the bathroom when J.R. was shot, your friend would have to fill you in on the details.  If you didn't watch the football game live, you had to read about it in the newspaper.  The next morning!  (My brother is really annoying about this, since he'll stop a game mid-broadcast.  God forbid anybody tell him what happened in the ten minutes he was gone!!)  I am a full eighteen months behind on Doctor Who, thanks to not having cable and Netflix not getting their act together and finally making the discs available, but you know what?  I know there's a new companion.  I know there's a new Doctor.  Am I running around with my fingers in my ears screaming about SPOILERS?!  Nope.  Because I am a grownup.  And I suppose we even have River Song partially to thank for the prevalence of the concept.  Okay, I will edit my statement: not "spoiling" something is only acceptable in the case of time travelers, or some sort of Temporal Prime Directive.  Are you a time traveler from the past, or otherwise temporally displaced?  No?  Then SHUT THE HELL UP.  I'm gonna give away the whole plot of the Scandal finale just to spite your annoying ass. (P.S. Harrison is probably going to be killed off.  OH NOES, SPOILERS.)